All That Really Matters
by X5-264
Summary: max escapes manticore with alec. max's siblings show up, and she reveals a secret to her siblings and alec that she has been keeping for nearly 10 years. not very good at summarys soz. beta reader needed so if anybody wants the job plz contact me.


Hey so this is my first story to be put on go easy on me :) but reviews are welcome and encoraged. so her it is but first the disclamer i dont want james cameron and fox on my ass do i.

**Disclamer**: i do not own the rights to Dark Angel and its characters (though i wish i did) that pleasure goes to James Cameron and Fox.

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><p>It was the day after max had escaped Manticore with Alec and max was sitting in her apartment looking at a picture that she had held on to so dearly for the last four years as well as thinking about things that had happened so long ago she was in such deep thought that she didn't realize until it was to late that someone was behind her and plucked the photo right from her hands at a lighting fast speed.<p>

"what the..." was all that came out of her mouth as she turned around coming face to face with her long lost siblings some of which she hadn't seen in over 10 years they were all smiling at her happy to see there baby sister again it was Zane who spoke first.

"well look who's all grown up but still the baby of the group Maxie you grew up good baby sister" ha said supporting a crocked megawatt smile.

"You didn't grow up to badly either Zane same goes for the rest of you" max replied once she got over the shock of seeing them in her apartment in front of her in the flesh.

Before anyone else could say anything there was a knock at the door "coming" she called making her way over to the door groaning when she opened the door to see the person least wanted to see.

"Aw Maxie no need to be like that you know you wanted it to be me" said Alec smirking at her from his spot leaning against her door frame.

"I your dreams pretty boy now if you don't mind I'm busy so if you could move your ass out of my door way and go away that would be great" max said to him her voice hard.

"aw Maxie you wound me it hurts it really does you know this obsession with my ass has got to stop and you should know by know you are always in my dreams now and forever" Alec told her dramatically as he brush past her into her apartment.

"Now max don't stand there all day your letting a draft in, hey you got any..."

He didn't get to finish his sentence as he was grabbed by the throat and pushed up against the wall by Zack max who had just turned round had seen this and rushed over to them.

"What the hell are you doing here Ben you should be put down" Zack spat at Alec max was trying desperately to get him off of Alec.

"Zack no it's not Ben that's Alec his twin" max told him desperately Zack gave her a sceptical look "look at his barcode if you don't believe me his is 494 not 493 just look please" she pleaded with him.

Zack put him down but as soon as Alec's feet retouched the ground her was spun around and his head pushed forward and leather jacked collar pulled down so the guy max had called 'Zack' could look at his barcode the next thing Alec new he was released and straightened him self up and turned around which is when he noticed there was other people in the room look at him with wide eyes.

"erm… hi I'm Alec McDowell or X5-494 how's it going?" he said giving a slight smile.

"your one of us an X5 I mean" Krit questioned Syl looked sharply at him before slapping him up side the head like max had recently started doing to Alec when he said some thing stupid.

"Hey what was that for Syl" Zane asked Syl she just glared back at him.

"for stating the obvious you dimwit of course he is an X5 I mean his barcode is one up from bens he looks exactly like him not to mention he is he is bens TWIN so I think its safe to say yes he is an X5 without a doubt ok" Syl rose her eyebrow at him Zane put his head down to hid his blush.

"yes ma'am" everyone heard him mutter to her and the whole room broke into peals of laughter at his expense even Zack was cracking a smile at his brother and sisters antics.

"so now you lot know who I am who are you lot?" Alec questioned which once again brought everybody's attention back to him.

"Smooth Alec real smooth" max said to him as she walked up to stand beside him.

"Why thank you Maxie you know you love it really" Alec told her giving her his most charming smile that he had reserved just for her she slapped his arm.

"Ha sodding ha, know do you want to know who this lot are or not smart ass" she asked him.

"If its not to much trouble Maxie" he told her the smile still on his face.

"Alec meet the other 09'ers, my unit, my brothers and sisters Zack our ex-CO, Zane, Krit, Syl and Jondy" max told him pointing to each in turn.

Alec gave them all a nod before making his way over to her sofa and making himself comfortable and max follow sitting next to him the others decided to stand Alec felt like he was being watched so he looked around until his eye meet Zack's who gave him a hard look.

"I hope you do realise you are NOT one of us X5 or not" Zack told him with a hard edge to his voice.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Alec told him casually.

"you may be an X5 like us but you are Not one of us do you understand 494" Zack spat at him giving him a death glare Alec froze at the mention of his designation with didn't go unnoticed by max almost instantly Alec was back to himself.

"you just said that do you have a point your trying to get across by repeating your self them please get on with it i have more productive ways to be spending my time than to be listening to a dried up ex-Manticore CO your just as drab as they are missing home are you Zacky want daddy Lydecker to tuck you in" Alec said to him in an even voice.

He could hear the others trying to stifle there laughter at his comments even max if he was hearing right as he couldn't look so see because he was staring directly at Zack who looked like he was going red with anger.

"you are not one of us because you have been in Manticore to long we got out you are nothing like us you are one of Manticore's drones, a solider, You haven't had to run and hide for the last ten years we have" Zack spat at him.

Alec tilted his head at Zack's words "really you may have been on the out side longer but you all are still soldiers, you can still kill, you are stronger than ordinaries what makes you think you can all blend in with them yea you can try hell I have been trying but we will always be different i just embrace it, don't get me wrong I have nothing against ordinaries some of them are great but while we are still part human, and have souls despite what the trainers thought we are also part animal part cat, shark, bear and what ever else they added into some X5'sDNA, so I guess what I'm trying say is that I don't care that I'm not one of you because I am still a transgenic, an X5 so I have brothers and sisters within my own unit but after what Manticore did to me, forced me to do, they striped me of my rank and i was thrown back into my unit after Phy-Ops and Re-doc a changed man but guess my unit, my so called brothers and sister, my family turned their back on my I was no longer there CO and no longer a brother of theirs I had messed up big time so I'm on my own out here in the world but at least I'm out of Manticore, out of them walls but guess what I have max to thank for that because she asked me if I wanted to come with her, she is the only one I know trust, she is my friend, my family not Manticore, not my unit, not the other X5's on the bases and certainly not you so you can shove your 'you are not one of us' speeches up your ass and leave me the hell alone you got that Zack" Alec told him fiercely although Zack had a shocked look on his face at Alec's out burst she just nod to the other man.

"I got it just as long as you got it" Zack told him firmly Alec nodded in response it had seemed after a nearly catastrophic event the men had come to a truce.

Max however was far from done though she was only just getting started she was pinning Zack with a death glare although he hadn't quite noticed yet as he had been too concentrated on Alec.

"Well then if Alec is not 'one of us' neither am I Zack" she told him firmly everybody turned to her in shock.

"What do you mean Maxie" said Syl looking at her in shock.

"You escaped with us remember" said Jondy joining in max turned to look at them with a sad look on her face.

"Yeah I did escape with all of you but i was only out for a year and a half" she told them sadly.

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><p>So a bit of a cliffhanger i think. : please review it only take a few minutes of your time and it would make my day. thanks xx

X5-264 (nik)


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